Alison Aitken

Alison Aitken Gallery

Alison is an enigma.

She has all the hallmarks of photographer Fullarton (the house, the absurd sports prop – practicing her golf swing in a living room with drawn curtains ), so she is almost definitely Scottish. And she is typical ToCo; she has a sense of fun, a beaming smile, a good figure and great legs – indeed proclaimed a contender for the title of Miss Lovely Legs on her first appearance in Spick & Span Extra 9 (Winter 1963).

An enigma because she is the stuff ToCo dreams are made of. Yet eight years were to pass between her debut and her second (and last) appearance in Beautiful Britons 191 in October 1971 – and that was not much more than a reprint of the first set, though it does inform us she was a shorthand typist.

There are many other pictures of her (at least 30) from two other shoots in the same house and wearing different garb – but I cannot trace their origin. With all the material shot of her, it is a mystery that she made only two appearances. What happened to her? Why did ToCo bring her back at all after such a long time? And with reprint photos instead of using this material? Did she chicken out? Fall out with the photographer? Or her boyfriend or mum and dad? Mystifying.